* JOHN BELLANY CBE RA HRSA (SCOTTISH 1942 - 2013),
SALOME (1989)
oil on canvas, signed and titled verso
image size 149cm x 119cm, overall size 179cm x 147cm
Framed.
Provenance: Beaux Arts, London (Bellany's long time principal London Gallery).
Note: The creation of "Salome" was recounted by the artist and reported in the Glasgow Herald. 'A visit to the opera at the Edinburgh International Festival (1989) produced devastating results for Scottish artist John Bellany. Within hours of John the Baptist's head almost landing on his lap, he had rushed to the studio to produce a Salome which he considers among his best works for years. ''I had been at the Folkopera production and I found the whole thing so uplifting from the first to the very last, so moving and inspiring, that at the end I got into the car and straight to the studio,'' he said. Sitting in the front row for the production of the Strauss opera, based on the play by Oscar Wilde, Bellany was so inspired by the experience that he worked through the night and produced the work, which is 5ft by 4ft, by 11am the next day.'
Note 2: In the Scottish Contemporary Art Auction of 29th May 2022 lot 65 "The Finnon Smoker" sold for £80,000 (hammer) an auction price for a work by Bellany only bettered by the £85,000 (hammer) achieved for "Fishermen in the Snow" (a much larger example) which formed part of The David Bowie Collection sold by Sotheby's 11th November 2016. The David Bowie provenance drew crowds of "over 51,000" visitors to the viewings (a new record for any London auction) and unsurprisingly numerous world record prices were achieved for the collection which raised £32.9 million.

Condition Report

Condition is good overall, with no visible signs of restoration, damage, or known issues. Date is 1989, as listed in description.